People to foil propaganda against PML-N in next general election: PM

KARAK, March 8 (APP):Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi Thursday said the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had successfully put the country on the path of progress and development and with its growth oriented policies now it was up to the people to choose who are their well wishers.
Addressing a gathering at the inauguration of Nashpa Oil & Gas Processing Facility and LPG Recovery Plant here, the prime minister said it was up to the people to vote for those who used foul language or those who believed in decency and served them.
He said the people witnessed the performance of all political parties in their respective provinces and they were a better judge in that regard. They would foil propaganda against the PML-N in next general election through their vote, he added.
The prime minister said in the past, the country had suffered billions of rupees losses due to non-completion of oil and gas projects, which were kept pending for one reason or the other.
He said the plant had been lying pending with the OGDCL (Oil and Gas Development Company Ltd) for several years and incurring heavy losses to the national exchequer.
He specially thanked the chairman of the Chinese Company for his role in getting the project completed in time. No other company, he added, was ready to commence work on the abandoned project and it was the Chinese Company, which had committed to complete it.
He said the processing plant would help meet the growing energy needs of the country. It would generate income of Rs 60 billion per annum. Rs 42 billion royalty had been paid, while the federal government had received Rs 85 billion on account of taxes .
Prime Minister Abbasi said the gas was also being utilized in Karak and a lot of its quantity was being wasted and not being fully utilized. He called for optimum utilization of the gas as it was vital for national development.
He said an investment of Rs 20 billion had been made into the plant, which was producing 400 tonnes of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) per day. Pakistan, he said, today had 1800 tonnes of LPG production per day and not even a single tonne was being provided as quota. The OGDCL alone was producing 1000 tonnes LPG per day. It was generating an income of Rs 10 billion per annum, he added.
He said today CNG (compressed natural gas), LNG (liquefied natural gas) and power plants were smoothly running in the country, which had helped improved energy and gas situation and as a result foreign investment was coming to the country.
He said the government would not import furnace oil for next three years. Had those measures taken in the past, the people would not have to face the energy crisis, he added.
The prime minister said the culture of corruption in the form of installation of transformers and gas connections had been abolished. It was a major achievement of the present government as earlier the LPG production and distribution were confined into a few hands only, he added.
The prime minister said when the PML-N government took over in 2013, some 16-18 hours load-shedding was a routine matter, which had impacted the industrial and agricultural sectors negatively, besides making the lives of people miserable.
He said the government launched and got completed scores of energy projects, both medium and mega ones, and as a result load-shedding was now a history as the country today had surplus electricity. Only those feeders where the line losses were high, had to face power outages, he added.
He said today there were only a few complaints of shortage of gas and electricity in the country, which too, he hoped, would be addressed in the days ahead.
Prime Minister Abbasi expressed the hope that the gas production from the gas field would go a long way in making the life of the local people easy.
While quoting a recent IMF report, the prime minister said Pakistan had put itself on the road to progress
by meeting its energy shortage.
Highlighting achievements of the government, he said the PML-N government in the last three years had started work on 1700 kilometres of motorways, which was unprecedented, besides completing various electricity, gas and highways projects.
The prime minister announced a women university for Karak district, completion of electricity projects in the area, while the National Highways Authority (NHA) would complete two roads – Shakardara to Banda Daud Shah Road and Thal Road. He also directed the OGDCL to establish a model school in the premises of Nashpa field.
He also announced the Prime Minister’s Health Cards Scheme for the Karak district, besides bonus salary of one month for the employees of the OGDCL. He said various electricity projects in the area would also be completed by the federal government.
Earlier upon his arrival for the inauguration of the plant, the prime minister was received by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra The plant is located at the Nashpa field of the Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The event was also attended by the OGDCL chairman, high officials and local people.